In her life
by ToriS
Summary: Sorry if the title sucks...I'm horrible with those. This chapter is kinda boring, but please don't put it off as horrible yet. There's a little note at the bottom asking you guys a question. :) Anyway, to warn you this is Relena-friendly. R & R if you wan
1. Default Chapter Title

In her life  
  
Disclaimer: . . . I give up on these things. Nobody reads 'em, nobody cares. *sigh of defeat* I do NOT own Gundam Wing. There.  
  
A/N: I don't have a real title for this fic yet, so this one will have to do. I was going to go untitled, but decided since it is about Relena and does involve life it would be okay. Sorry if it doesn't suit you. O.O Okay, well anyway, I'm saying sorry now for poor grammar. I'm sorry if I switch tenses on you. I don't mean to, honest. :) Anyway, enjoy. Tell me what you think, good or bad, it's all gravy. :P  
  
In Her Life  
  
Relena sits back in her chair and sighs, stretching her arms to their highest before returning them to her sides and staring at her reflection. She picks her brush up from her vanity table in front of her and begins brushing through the blond tresses after taking her hair down from its customary style. She shrugs off her heavy business coat and lets it drop to the floor.  
  
/That thing is too hot sometimes/  
  
Too bad they didn't have a summer outfit for diplomatic events.   
  
/Well, politics really isn't about fashion anyway, I suppose/  
  
She resumes looking at her reflection in the vanity mirror. The thin tank top she had on underneath that business coat really did nothing to keep the damn thing from itching her like crazy so now her pale skin was all red. She frowns slightly upon seeing her slim figure.   
  
/I'm too thin. I really should take care of myself a little better. What good is a world leader if she's in the hospital?/  
  
She really couldn't help it anyway. She hadn't the time or the energy to eat after all those meetings during the day. Upon arriving at her mansion, one of the maids or Zechs would practically force some food down her throat. She couldn't be angry with them. After all, they lived with her and knew of her every move, so therefore saw how little she ate throughout the course of a day.  
  
/This seat is uncomfortable/  
  
You'd think after all those meetings, she would want to sit down. Quite the contrary, actually. All she did was sit in those meetings and so when she got home it felt good to stand up and walk around. She proceeds to walk out onto her balcony, looking down over the ledge to see the rose garden below.  
  
/Feels good to be able to relax, breathe in the night air, something I haven't been able to do in a while/  
  
She smiles. She had been very busy lately; meeting with colony leaders and leaders of the terra-forming project on Mars...the list of them was long and distinguished. She'd seen enough council rooms in the last week to last any normal person a lifetime.   
  
/Hmm...Normal. What is that?/  
  
She loved her job, but sometimes it got to be annoying. Well, okay. So she didn't LOVE her job. Let's just say that it had GROWN on her. She had to admit that she was good at speechmaking.   
  
/Ah, well, it's a living and the people need me right now/  
  
She shivers involuntarily, not really out of being cold, but of the odd feeling of being watched.   
  
/Probably one of the servants below...Or maybe.../  
  
Heero.   
  
Heero held true to his promise of protecting her. It was generally from the shadows, at least in public events, so nobody knew he was even still around save for maybe Duo, but...when she was alone he would occasionally show himself.  
  
Ah, Heero. It was funny how it all began with her following him almost everywhere he went, but now it was quite the opposite; *He* followed *her* nearly everywhere she went, even on dates (a rarity for her as she never had the time, but they still happened). If it was a date with some diplomats' son and he was just an egotistical jerk like so often happened, Heero would emerge from the shadows and save her from the evil that is man. (Heh) It was really sweet, but sometimes unnerving. He, for some reason, seemed to believe he was her keeper or something.  
  
/Well, at least he isn't as bad as before. You'd think he was jealous or something/ She laughs at the thought. Did he even REALLY understand what jealousy was? She knew he knew WHAT it was...but did he understand what it was to FEEL it? The thought had always boggled her mind; whether he knew the difference between knowing emotions and feeling them...Hmm...   
  
Anyway, to anybody who didn't know the situation, it would seem as though he were a lost little boy looking for his place in this world.  
  
Hmm...that wasn't so far from the truth, actually. After the Mariemaea (sp?) incident, the two of them had gotten together and tried to form a functional relationship, as Heero had finally come to terms with the fact that he had some sort of feelings for her. She was happy, naturally, and he was, well...he was Heero. They both seemed to revel in each other's companionship; both needing the closeness. But, soon enough she realized it wouldn't work out. He didn't know if it was love he felt for her, or friendship, or even a sort of sibling bond. It took her a bit to come out of her bliss-like state and realize that he didn't know what Love is, let alone be able to feel it and until he came to grips with his emotions he couldn't be with ANYONE. Due to his absence of any sort of REAL childhood, he had some pretty fucked up issues to deal with before joining humanity again and living a normal life. Perhaps in a few years the two of them could find each other's hearts again if fate allowed it...Until then, though, they would remain friends. Yes, she would dare to say that they had become good friends. All of the pilots had remained friends with her, surprisingly. Quatre had taken her out on a few 'dates' and through him her and Trowa kept contact.   
  
Trowa was still with Catherine and the Circus and had even invited her to watch whenever she wanted. Unfortunately, she hadn't had the time to do so.   
  
Duo of course kept in contact, since Heero was with her. Sometimes she had to wonder what that was all about. Was he in love with Heero?   
  
Nah. They were best friends. Heero needed someone like Duo in his life; always cheerful.  
  
Wufei was the hardest to keep in contact with, as he was always busy with the Preventers. They had rarely ever talked to begin with. Sally kept her updated on him. You'd think the two of them were together or something, but nope...at least not yet. Last she heard, Sally was hinting around for them to get hooked up, but Wufei hadn't taken the hint. Poor Sally. With that guy, it could be a while.  
  
Hmm...Duo. She could fall for a guy like him. He, despite the horrible past he's had, is happy and talkative. Very cute, too...beautiful eyes. Not as beautiful as Heero's of course, but beautiful all the same.   
  
/Humph/  
  
He has Hilde, though. Not that they would ever get together or anything. She didn't talk to him all that often. Just enough to hear that he and Hilde are still sharing a house, but tragically aren't dating or anything.  
  
/Those two are too much alike to be together anyway...Or maybe, just similar enough? I don't know/  
  
She looks up to see that it has gotten completely dark now. How long had she been out there? She shivers again, that feeling coming over her once more. She stifles a gasp when warm, strong arms snake around her from behind. She turns around to meet a Prussian blue gaze.  
  
"Hello, Heero"  
  
****  
End Chapter One  
****  
Well, what do you think? I know it's boring right now, but it (hopefully) will get better by the next chapter. I had to end it here because I have a bit of a dilemma. I was wondering if you guys could help me out a little? This is my first GW fic and I'm not entirely sure on which pairing I want to do. Should I do a 2xR or a 1xR??? See, some people on this ML I'm on have nearly convinced me that Heero and Relena are a bad match, as Heero shouldn't be in a relationship with anyone cause of his err...lack of emotions. They've also said that the two of them are too much alike, which I can sorta see, but...I really like the HyxRP pairing. Then there's Duo and Relena, which, even though it's a little far-fetched, would be a believable couple to me. He's a little insane and she's a little too serious. I dunno. I'm rambling now, so I'm gonna go and get started on the next chapter, but if you guys would be so kind as to let me know which couple I should do, if any at all, I'd greatly appreciate it. You can e-mail me at Odangoprincess@yahoo.com or just write it in the review space. Thanks! ^^ ~Tori  
  
  
  



	2. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: Err...you mean you don't already know I don't own GW?  
  
A/N: I'm sorry ahead of time for the character OOCness. I'm fairly certain I even made DUO out of character in this one, a feat I had previously deemed impossible. ^^ So, again, I'm sorry if I mess this up. I'm trying my best here, okay? Heehee...Tori has both a caffeine and sugar high at the moment. Don't mind her. -_-  
  
A/N2: Aheh...I'm sorry about using bad language in the last chapter and censoring it 'G'...it was an accident. I'm very sorry. Please forgive me??? Pwetty Pwease??? And thanks to whoever it was for bringing it to my attention. ^^  
  
Warning: See now I have to warn you that, yes, knowing my potty mouth, there are a few words that the little ones shouldn't be reading. Not like they don't have worse language than me, but to satisfy the world, I give you fair warning.  
  
In Her Life2  
****  
  
"Hello Heero"  
  
"Relena"  
  
"Heero, why did you...?" She trails off, thoroughly confused by his actions of wrapping his arms around her from behind in greeting.  
  
"I thought you were cold." He comments, flatly.   
  
"Oh." /Well, at least now I know why I had that feeling. Hmm, should have known it was him anyway. It always is./  
  
"What were you thinking about?" He asks suddenly, interrupting her thoughts.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"You were staring off into space for a long time. I was wondering what you were thinking."  
  
"Oh." She blushes slightly for no apparent reason. /At least he's honest about spying...still though.../  
  
"Just thinking about how busy it has been lately."  
  
He seemed to be staring straight through her with his gaze and she felt a tad uncomfortable. No matter how often he did that, she could never get used to the feeling. Upon looking into his eyes, she realizes he doesn't believe her. He never believed her, no surprise there. He could always see through the façade.   
  
/He is around me all the time. He should be able to see through me by now/  
  
But, even when they first met, he could see through it. Did that mean she was easy to read?  
  
"You're too thin." He says, gesturing to her thin arms and waist.   
  
/Well, at least he didn't pry into what I was really thinking about/ She turns around and walks back into her room, him following close behind.  
  
"Hmmph. You try eating properly when you have diplomats around you 24-7"  
  
He smirks at this.  
  
"You make it sound as though you don't enjoy talking people's ears off."  
  
She looks at him, surprised. Though he had become more open with her in the past couple of years, she still wasn't expecting *that* sort of reaction. She smiles.   
  
"Nah. I leave that up to our friend, Duo Maxwell." Heero made a small sound that seemed suspiciously like a snort, and Relena thought she'd be surprised for the THIRD time that night. However, when she looked up at his face (yes, admittedly, she had been looking, no scratch that, *gawking* at his muscular arms and chest. Ah, sometimes she just loved that green tank top of his. Showed off so much...Hey, reserved diplomat or not, she was still female), she noticed his expression, well...held no expression. But his eyes- those beautiful Prussian blue- they held the emotion he was feeling at the moment. Laughter.   
  
/Wow. Heero Yuy thinking something funny besides an OZ soldiers' death? Like I said: Wow/  
  
"Relena, I hardly think Duo would start spouting off about peace talks and pacifism." She giggles.  
  
"You're right. He's more likely to cause a war with his 'Fear me, for I am Shinigami' speeches than he is to prevent one...Not to mention his ability to pack away food like there's no tomorrow.."  
  
"Hn. A trait you obviously need to pick up."  
  
/Damn! He still hasn't forgotten that topic yet! Hmm...Relena, just ignore it. Ignore it./  
  
"Can you imagine those old farts' faces when they see the food stand is empty five minutes after they get there? And then Duo on a sugar high running around with a mini-scythe in his hand screaming 'I am the Great Shinigami!'" Heero frowns at her avoidance of his comment, but lets the laughter return to his eyes at the mental picture of his friend doing just what she said.  
  
"There you are. I've been searching everywhere for you!" Relena and Heero turn toward the owner of the new voice in shock.  
  
/How the hell did he get in here?/  
  
"And they're making fun of me, too. Heero I expect this from, but Relena...*sigh* Try to be nice and find the guy and he's..." he continues mumbling on before Heero's death glare silences him. His grin widens. "My, my, it's hard to believe Mr. High and Mighty Perfect Soldier is losing his edge." He tsktsks as Heero glares daggers and crosses his arms over his chest.  
  
"Hn. You braided baka. I heard you come in two minutes ago. I just chose not to respond." Duo looks mock-offended and Relena stifles a laugh.  
  
/The two of them are definitely great friends. Maybe just afraid to show it/  
  
"Ohhhhh...I'm sorry if I'm not worthy of your attention, oh Great One Heero Yuy-" At this point Duo bows to Heero and she laughs at them. She is caught off guard when he suddenly turns his head toward her and mumbles, "Guess only you're special enough to get the guy with a stick up his ass' attention, huh Ojousan?"  
  
"What are you doing here, Duo?" Heero sounded almost irritated. Could it be that Duo *annoyed* him? She almost laughs at the thought. /But, then again, I think I would want to kill Duo by now if he had just told me I have a stick up my butt/ Duo turns his face back to Heero for a split second, before jumping back up to full height.  
  
"Oi, I came here to see 'Jousan." He turns to her. "Lookin' hot as always, Relena-babe." Under the steely glare he receives from Heero, he sweatdrops and laughs nervously. "uh...heh...I mean...Relena-SAN." She giggles again as she watches Heero back away from behind Duo where he was about to bang him over the head. He instead settles for tugging on that long braid of his, earning a 'Hey!' from Duo. She curtsies low before Duo.  
  
"I thank you for the compliment, Mr. Maxwell," she says in her official 'I'm a reserved diplomat so I have to accept this compliment from you even though you're five times my age and shouldn't be hitting on minors' tone. [Oy, that was long. All I meant was it was in an overly polite tone of voice. ^^; heh]  
  
/Hmm...This is just what I need to relax tonight./   
  
She extends her hand out toward him, but instead of him taking the proffered hand and kissing it like all those other freaks she meets in those meetings, he grabs her arm and yanks her up to him. He dips her low as though he's about to do one of those dramatic kiss-things, and brings his face down toward hers saying, "Anytime MRS. YUY." He spares a glance at the glaring Heero, smirks, and just before hitting her mouth with his, puts his hand over her mouth, so that he kisses his own hand in an over-exaggerated manner. As he brings the surprised girl up to a standing position once more, she catches a glimpse of the look in Heero's eyes.  
  
/If looks could kill...That was dumb, Duo/  
  
"Mrs. Yuy, Duo?" Duo laughs at her.  
  
"Yeah, just trying to get our Japanese friend over here to crack a smile." 'Or catch a hint' she thought she heard him mutter to himself. Her cheeks felt hot as that registered in her brain and she just knew she was blushing. Duo had to pick this moment to be observant, so he flashed her this huge smile. Now she was even redder than before. Of course, nobody knew that she was blushing because of *him* and not because of him noticing her embarrassment over being caught blushing over Heero.  
  
Heero, meanwhile seemed to have gotten his anger under control now and was staring at his two friends with a look of...what was that? Jealousy? /But, why would he be jealous of Duo and me? Why would Heero be jealous, period?/ As quickly as it had crossed his features, the look disappeared and Heero's face went back to the normal Heero expression. So, Relena just tried to put it down to her imagination. They weren't together anymore, so he had no reason to be jealous, right? Or maybe because she and Duo were laughing and having a good time and he couldn't do that so easily? Hmm...another thought to boggle the mind.  
  
She looks up into Heero's eyes, questioning. His eyes, once again, held no expression.   
  
/Damn! Why can't he just show me what he's feeling? If he's jealous or angry, then why doesn't he just talk to me about it? Why doesn't he DO something about it? I'm not even his to keep and yet he acts like...Wait, I'm blowing this completely out of proportion. I probably didn't even see anything/  
  
She breaks the staring contest she and Heero seemed to be having and turns to Duo.  
  
"So, Duo, why are you really here? I know it wasn't to see me, since you said that you were searching everywhere for the person. You found ME easily in my room."  
  
"Huh? Hmm...I came here for a reason...Oh yeah, Heero, buddy Lady Une wants to see you at Headquarters."   
  
/Hmm...so apparently Lady Une knows about Heero being here and being my shadow too. I wonder if all the Preventers know?/  
  
"Is anyone still there?"  
  
"Nope. You might run into Trowa or Quatre, but they already know you're here anyway."  
  
/Guess not/  
  
Heero glares at Duo. He waves his arms in defeat.  
  
"Hey, hey buddy, all the pilots know when you're around. We all grew a sixth sense to knowing when you were around so that we could avoid being killed by you for being in the way."  
  
"Hn."  
  
"Yeesh, 'sides, we all know you promised to protect her and you never abandon missions."  
  
Heero winces ever so slightly. Relena doesn't seem to notice as she was lost in her own depressed thoughts about being nothing but a mission to him, but Duo does and stores it in his brain with all the other signs Heero has given to liking Relena.   
  
"Tell Lady Une that I'll be there in the morning."  
  
"Too many people will be around, Heero. You should go tonight and see what she needs. She wouldn't have you tracked down if it wasn't important." Relena states calmly.  
  
Heero looks at her blankly.  
  
"Go. I'll be fine. There are enough bodyguards in this place. I'll be okay for one night without you watching over me."  
  
"Hn. Security must be bad around here...Duo made it in undetected."  
  
"Hey!" Duo says, indignantly, "I am Shinigami! I can always sneak into places undetected!" Relena rolls her eyes and Heero just chooses to ignore his Shinigami speech.  
  
"Fine. Duo, stay with her." Duo breaks into a huge grin again and salutes as Heero goes out onto her balcony and jumps off the edge. Relena watches him go with a blank expression. She seems to be in a trance until Duo turns to her and starts speaking.  
  
"So, 'Jousan, what were you guys doing before I showed up?"  
  
"Hmm? Oh nothing. He just came up and surprised me from my thoughts, as usual. He thought I was cold."  
  
"He really is into protecting you, isn't he? He doesn't want you to even get a cold. He's very thorough in his missions." Duo immediately regrets the mission part as he watches her face darken for a second before returning to normal.   
  
"Hmm...Mission. I hope that's not all I am after all this time."  
  
"Really? You don't think that's what you are?" Hell, they were talking about it now and even though Duo knew that she was far from being 'just a mission' to Heero, he decided to humor her. Maybe even get some information out of her too.  
  
"No. I would even go as far as to say we're *friends*" She laughs, but stops when she sees the look on Duo's face.   
  
/Uh-oh. What is he up to? Why is he looking at me like that? He's been hanging around Heero too long; he's picked up the ability to stare straight through me/  
  
"What is it, Duo?"  
  
"I got it."  
  
"..." Relena stares blankly.  
  
"I got it! I got it! I got it!" Duo chants bouncing up and down on Relena's bed with her frantically dodging him.  
  
"Got, what, Duo?" /Okay, he's lost it. That's what it is. Duo's completely lost it. Heero, come back here...take your pal away. He's scaring me/ She grabs onto her teddy bear as if it would shelter her from the hyper-active ex-pilot.  
  
"You!" He points to Relena almost accusingly. She shrinks back in fear/confusion.   
  
"Me what?" She asks as he plops back down in front of her, sitting cross-legged.  
  
"You're still in love with him."   
  
Relena looks shocked.  
  
****  
End Chapter 2  
****  
AN: Wow. This was longer and even more boring than the last chapter! Well, thanks for those people who gave me ideas on which couple to write about! Thanks a bunch! ^__^ I'm still unsure of which couple I'm going to put in, but I'm pretty certain I'm going to try a little bit of both and then go 1xR...Not quite certain though. I change my mind frequently, so by the next chapter I might not be doing any couple. Anyway, C and C are appreciated, but obviously I can't force you to write any. ~Tori   



	3. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: Honestly, you guys know I don't own Gwing, so why even bother with these things? Ohhhhh, I forgot, lawyers and stuff...Guess I ought to be official just for them. *ahem* Gundam Wing and its characters belong to Bandai, Sunrise and Sotsu Agency and are only being used for non profit entertainment purposes...Heehee..you like? I took it off an ML I'm on.   
  
Again, I apologize for the OOCness of the characters. I'm really horrible with that whole understanding the character things. Oh, and I'm sorry if I change tenses on you...Present tense is a really hard one to keep up. O_o   
  
In Her Life3  
  
"You're still in love with him."  
  
Relena looks shocked and petrified at the same time.  
  
"What? No I'm not!"  
  
"Yeah, then why did you get all sad-looking when I mentioned that thing about you being a mission to Heero? And why have you never dropped that habit of sighing out his name like it's the best thing you've ever heard? Aaaannnnddd, at parties with all those stuffy old people, how come you only *really* smile when you see him in your general vicinity? Ooh, ooh, and here's the real kicker...if you're not still in love with him, then why, as I'm accusing you of this, do you look like a deer caught in the headlights...????" She looks flustered.   
  
/Damn! I thought he didn't notice! If he's noticed this, and he's marked as not being the most observant person in the world, if he noticed then that means Heero noticed and... oh, well, Heero probably didn't really understand the look anyway/  
  
/Well, well, Mr. Maxwell. It seems there are things about you I don't know...Hilde, you could've warned me the boy actually *uses* his brain on occasion/  
  
/He isn't right, is he? I mean, sure I smile when I see Heero, but that's just because we're good friends...Duo's over exaggerating...I smile around all my friends/  
  
/Don't I?/  
  
/Anyway, it doesn't matter. Heero and I are over. Duo's just trying to set me off. Heero and I are more like siblings than anything else/  
  
/There, now that's settled/ She looks up at Duo and sees a HUGE grin on his face. She blushes when she realizes she had been silent for a few minutes and that he was still waiting for her to answer.  
  
"I-I just thought that we were friends and he was doing this out of his own personal accord, not because he had to." She could face an entire room of politicians, but for the life of her she could not raise her eyes to meet Duo Maxwell's.   
  
/How irritating...And look at that grin of his growing wider! Hmmph! Like I'm this tool for his amusement or something/  
  
"Oh...well, you know, 'Jousan, Lady Une had nothing to do with Heero wanting to protect you. He just showed up one day and told her what he was doing and that he wanted nobody else to know he was here."  
  
Relena snorts lightly. "Duo. If nobody was supposed to know he was here, then how did YOU find out? Heero's friend or not, I highly doubt he would tell YOU of all people something he wanted to keep a SECRET." She smirks at the momentary blank look on his face.   
  
/Got him!/  
  
/Hang around the pilots long enough and you're bound to learn how to use sarcasm against Duo Maxwell/ He recovers quickly. [Really, did you expect any less from Duo?]  
  
"C'mon, 'Lena, you know me better than that. I was eavesdropping of course!"  
  
Relena laughs. "Oh, yes, I forgot. The Great Shinigami and his perfect stealth skills."  
  
"Damn straight." His own smile gets wider.  
  
"So, does Heero know that you knew that?"  
  
"The Perfect Soldier knows all. That's all there is to it. If it's Heero, then he knows. Creepy, but true. Hey, 'Lena, given the fact that Heero DOES know all...how can you possibly stand having him know absolutely everything you do?"  
  
"Oh, but don't you know that it's just so great having him know my every move, following me everywhere. My normal shadow has been replaced with a messy-haired blue-eyed Japanese assassin." She rolls her eyes.  
  
"Hmm... that sounds like Heero to me. So you have no feelings for him at all, huh?"  
  
She looks at him, her expression carefully guarded, then arches an eyebrow at him "Why are you so interested?"  
  
"Hey, hey, just trying to make conversation, 'Lena."  
  
"Somehow I doubt that would ever be a problem for you, Duo."  
  
"Aww...I'm offended. How can you think I talk too much?" He falls onto her pillows, a hand placed over his heart, and a pained expression on his face. She laughs when he hits his head on her headboard on his way down.   
  
"Bet that hurt, didn't it" she looks down at him mock-worried. She felt good right now. She could relax in front of him. She didn't have to be the calm diplomat in front of the pilots, especially Duo. She smiles... /Duo's so nice...he's cute, fun to be around, he's got a brain in there somewhere that he occasionally uses unlike most guys his age...He's the dream guy for most females, so what the heck is Hilde's problem?/  
  
Duo rubs his head and sits up. "Ouch."  
  
"Aww...poor baby. Here, let me help with that." She massages his temples, earning a sigh of content from him. She stops and looks at him seriously again, leaving him to think that she's pretty when her smile isn't the forced one for asshole politicians, and that she should do it more often. She looks at him expectantly.  
  
"What"  
  
"My turn." He face-faults and falls down anime style. "Did you expect to get your wound fixed without a price? I'm a pampered princess here. I expect a full shoulder massage."  
  
He laughs and sweatdrops.  
  
"I'm only kidding, Duo. I was just wondering if you could massage them, just for a minute. I heard from Hilde that you do killer massages and my shoulders are really stiff from all those meetings...Please?"  
  
"Yes, your majesty." He bows as much as one can while sitting on a bed, then laughs again and gets behind her on her bed and starts to rub her shoulders. It was her turn to sigh in contentment.  
  
They lapse into a non-Duo-esque silence as he continues to massage her shoulders. Just as things are about to pass into awkward, Relena speaks.  
  
"To answer your question, Yes, I do still have feelings for him. That was never the problem. I had a crush on him when I first met him." She gives him a look at his 'that was obvious' and continues. "I thought that was all it was for quite a long time. I knew he felt something for me too."   
  
"That was obvious too. The fact that he couldn't kill you was my first clue."  
  
"Nah, he does that with all his friends, Duo. You know that."  
  
"Okay, I have a better one, then."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"The way he says your name, of course!" He stops massaging her shoulders, clears his throat and says in a really deep voice: "Relena..." Relena sweatdrops. "It's like he's telling you everything he wants to say in just your name. And then you do it too. The others and me...we had this bet going each time you did it to see how many times you'd say each other's names before finally either walking away from each other or going onto another topic."  
  
"Yeah, I guess we were pretty bad with that."  
  
"Anyway, 'Lena, you were saying?" He resumes massaging her shoulders.  
  
"I knew he felt something for me too, but unfortunately even HE didn't know exactly what way it was that he felt. Until he figures out whether he thinks of me as a sister or a lover, we can't be together. I would feel like I'm taking advantage of him. He doesn't understand his emotions and I can't do that. I know how I feel about him."  
  
"Wow, 'Jousan, you've changed."  
  
"Hmm...yeah, I'm not this silly little princess fawning all over her 'knight in shining armor' anymore...I haven't the time to do such stupid things." She smiles slightly and Duo could have sworn there was a wistful look there.  
  
"I don't think it was stupid. A bit on the weird side, but not stupid. Hell, I'd love to have someone who cared about me enough to interrupt a mobile suit battle for me." He smiles at her embarrassed look.   
  
"Hey! I was simply delivering a message. Besides, he was trying to kill my brother," she says defensively...people always seemed to think she was stalking him because she followed him all the way to Antarctica. Duo takes note of the discomfort in her features.  
  
"Actually, it was Zechs that was trying to kill him. He was invited there."  
  
"True. I suppose that wasn't the smartest idea." She laughs. "What about you and Hilde?"   
  
He sighs and his expression turns serious. "There is no 'Me and Hilde'. I like her a lot, but she doesn't seem interested. And, if she is, she sure is doing a hell of a job of convincing me otherwise."  
  
Relena breaks away from his grip and turns to face him. "Ah, isn't it funny how we're both waiting for the one we love to decide whether or not they love us back?"  
  
"Hehe, yeah, and we'll probably be waiting till we're old and gray. We might as well just quit waiting and hook up with each other." They both laugh and look down at his comment, neither really knowing what to say about that comment. A couple minutes later, the silence is deafening and she glances at her clock.  
  
"Well, I have to get going to sleep now. It's almost midnight and I have a meeting to wake up for at 6 in the morning."  
  
"Wow. That's the longest I think I've gone without talking since last month when Hilde was babbling about your party here at the mansion a while back." Relena laughs and kisses Duo on the cheek before kicking him off her bed and climbing under the blankets.   
  
"Goodnight, Duo. And thanks for staying with me."  
  
"Ah, no problem 'Lena. It was fun talkin' to you. I rarely ever get to see the other side of you that doesn't give really longwinded speeches about pacifism." He turns off her bedroom light and sits in her chair near her balcony.  
  
"Duo?"  
  
"Yeah, 'Jousan?"  
  
"You don't have to stay if you don't want to. Even Heero doesn't stay once I'm asleep."  
  
"Well, I'm not Heero. 'Sides, I don't want to have to sit in a tree all night with branches poking at my ass."  
  
"Oh. Good thought. Well, good night."  
  
"'Night, 'Jousan." He yawns and watches her for all of about five minutes before surrendering to the void of sleep himself. Heero's serious face is what he sees the next time that he opens his eyes. "Hey, Heero, buddy. What're you doing two inches from my face?"  
  
"Some bodyguard you are. I've been standing here for fifteen minutes."  
  
"Oh sorry, Mr. Yuy. I can't be as perfect as you."  
  
"Keep it down. Relena is sleeping, remember?" Duo gets up.  
  
"Heero, don't you sleep when you're watching over her?"  
  
"..."  
  
"Well?"  
  
"Yes, but fortunately for me, I don't sleep through a tornado."  
  
"Ooh, a joke. Be still my heart." He looks around tiredly and realizes they are now out on Relena's balcony.   
  
"Hn. Is she doing okay?" Duo gapes at him.  
  
"Concern? Heero Yuy, concerned?" Heero glares. "Yes, she's doing fine. She was a little tired, but she's doing okay."  
  
"Hn"  
  
"She's getting along fine without you, if that's what you mean." He could feel Heero's eyes glaring daggers at him. He laughs.  
  
"Hey, hey, don't ask for the truth if ya' can't handle the truth, you know? That's my motto."  
  
"Hn." Whatever emotion he was showing disappears as he smirks. "I thought your motto was 'I may run and hide, but I never tell a lie'."  
  
"Hey! How'd you know that? Wait, wait, I forgot, you know all." Heero doesn't comment. "Well, Heero, how do you feel about her? Are *you* getting along fine without *her*?"  
  
"..."  
  
"I'll take your silence as a 'no'."  
  
"Shut-up, Duo. Go home and get some sleep. Une wants you in her office at 8:00am."  
  
"Oh, yeah, hey what did she have to say?"  
  
"She'll tell you in the morning."  
  
"Oh...wait, Eight in the MORNING?!"  
  
"Leave, Duo."  
  
"But-but, that's just insane!"  
  
"Bye, Duo." Duo stomps off, grumbling about the injustice of having to wake up that early in the morning, leaving Heero to wonder just how much time the boy should be hanging around Wufei. Heero hops up onto Relena's balcony and sits in the chair Duo had occupied the first half of the night, listening to her soft breathing. From the way she was squinting and grabbing the teddy bear he'd given her, it was obvious she was dreaming. She was mumbling too...mumbling was something she usually only did when she was having a nightmare...a lot of those nightmares had something to do with him. Once she had called out to him, asking if he was still going to kill her. Did she really think him that heartless? At least she hadn't had one of those in a while. Now, she was more apt to have a conversation with him in her dreams...one about their previous relationship...than she was about him killing her. Like right now, she probably was...the smile on her face gave it away every time.  
  
He knew she still had feelings for him.  
  
Her dreams never lie. She talks in her sleep.  
  
Who knows, maybe Duo had been right all along...Maybe he really did love Relena.   
  
He'd opened up a bit more in the last couple of years...perhaps it was time to face that weird feeling he got in his stomach whenever she smiled at him.  
  
Maybe...  
  
"mmm...DUO"   
  
Heero's heart stopped.  
  
Duo?  
  
****  
End Chapter 3  
****  
  
AN: Oi, three chapters spanning one whole night. Ooh. Bet everybody is bored now, huh? Never fear...Only about a half a page or so is dedicated to the ending of this really LOOONG night. Heh...please don't be angry or anything...But I can't just end the night with poor wittle ol' Hee-chan's heart stopping. That wouldn't be very nice...that would be like him getting off easy or something, being able to die before I even get into torturing him. Oh, and I'm pretty sure which couple I'm heading for now...well, I think I am anyway, you never know with me. But, I promise, whichever one I don't do in this story, I'll do in the next one I write, since I do love both 1xR and 2xR pairings...Hope that's okay with you guys. ~Tori 


End file.
